Survivorship care planning: Why is it taking so long?

Abstract

Survivorship care planning is a process that focuses on the transition from active cancer treatment to a coordinated and comprehensive care system to address patients' unique needs. Survivorship care plans (SCPs) are increasingly viewed as a key component of survivorship care planning. SCPs have been recommended for >10 years to promote care coordination, communication, and record-keeping efficiency; however, SCP implementation has been challenging. We elaborate on the challenges of SCP implementation, summarize evidence regarding potential methods of promoting SCP implementation, and describe a research agenda for generating more definitive evidence to support SCP implementation in practice.